“Congress has a responsibility to promote justice, order, and respect for the rule of law. I look forward to continuing to serve alongside my colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee and taking on the role of Chairman for the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations.”

Background –

• Prior to being elected to Congress, Trey Gowdy served as a state and federal prosecutor in South Carolina for 16 years.

• From 1994-2000, Trey Gowdy served as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. During his tenure, he prosecuted the full range of federal crimes including narcotics trafficking rings, bank robberies, child pornography cases, and the murder of a federal witness.

• In April 1994, he was awarded the Postal Inspector’s Award for the successful prosecution of J. Mark Allen, one of “America’s Most Wanted” suspects. He also received the highest performance rating a federal prosecutor can receive – two years in a row.

• From 2000-2010, Trey Gowdy served as 7th Circuit Solicitor, which is the District Attorney for the state of South Carolina’s 7th Judicial Circuit. He led an office of 25 attorneys and 65 total employees, where he increased the hiring of both female and minority prosecutors.

• As 7th Circuit Solicitor, he started a Violence Against Women Task Force and dedicated Criminal Domestic Violence court, a Worthless Check Program, enhanced and expanded Drug Court, and implemented a Drug Mother Protocol designed to assist expectant mothers break the cycle of addiction as opposed to being incarcerated.

• He has been recognized statewide for his commitment to victim’s rights and drunken driving enforcement, and nationally for excellence in death penalty prosecutions.